Marked for Surrender (20 page)
Zevon turned and gripped Christophe's neck. He took possession, hard and demanding. When he broke the kiss, they were both breathless. “And I love you, Christophe."
His lover stared at him. “Are you sure, Z?"
"I'm sure.” He pushed Christophe back onto the floor and took the man's semihard cock in his mouth. He licked away Andia's sweetness and kept sucking until Christophe was hard again. “I'll spend however long it takes to prove it."
As if she read his mind, Andia straddled Christophe's face, her pussy just within reach of his tongue. Zevon knew they would survive whatever came next. They were meant to be together.
Three years later
Time had flown. Christophe stared at the strange planet that loomed on the vid screen. The shuttle drifted into Placido's atmosphere at a leisurely pace. They were in no hurry.
For the first year the three of them had been together, they hadn't stayed on any planet longer than three months. The Brotherhood followed them, danger always a step behind them.
He glanced at Andia. Her hair was midnight black, a concession to their need for obscurity. Zevon had shaved his head. Only Christophe had remained unchanged, his hair still the same brown and still cut the same.
Two years earlier, they'd finally discovered a place to hide. Atuano had rough terrain and even rougher people, but the outpost was a good place to stay off the grid and out of the way. News filtered to the distant planet slowly.
The three of them had watched, fascinated, when Leo Eyler revealed himself and became Princess Sera Ellysa Placido's bodyguard. Their subsequent fight with the Brotherhood and mating was big news all over the universe.
Then people from Nylar, as well as wandering Placidians, began to repopulate Placido, the princess's once abandoned home.
When had Zevon first contemplated moving there? Christophe didn't know. Zevon, he knew, would have gone to the ends of the universe for either of them. Christophe's concern was for Andia.
After three years, they'd discovered she was going to have a baby.
So here they were, with an appointment to meet Princess Sera and her consort Leo Eyler to gain citizenship on Placido.
Andia was pale. Travel hadn't been easy for her. Zevon's concern wrinkled his forehead and tightened his lips. Christophe flew the shuttle, keeping his speed low and the turbulence to a minimum.
What would the princess say? Rumors were that she and Leo accepted male submissives from Nylar, men who had been rejected by their own people. Christophe had heard that several of the Mistresses had left their home planet to begin new lives on Placido.
Hope clouded Christophe's usually clear thinking. He wanted so badly to find a place where they didn't have to hide and didn't have to pretend to be something they weren't. Their mating, though biologically evident, wasn't acknowledged by the Nyral council, despite their part in saving the bastards. Why would Placido be any different?
He landed the shuttle and turned to stare at the two people he couldn't live without. “Maybe I've made a mistake,” he said.
Zevon frowned, his scowls more intimidating with his shaved head. “Stop it. We agreed to try."
Andia took a deep breath. “It's worth it if we can have our baby out in the open, without fear of the Brotherhood."
They stepped out of the shuttle, and suddenly Andia swayed. Zevon and Christophe both caught her. “Mistress?” Christophe's stomach rolled. Was she okay? Was the baby going to be all right?
Her nostrils flared, and her gaze swerved from left to right over the landscape of the planet. “I'm fine,” she said.
"What happened?” Zevon asked her.
Andia frowned. “I'm not sure. There's...something here. Don't you feel it?"
Christophe stopped and listened. There was something. Power. Something churned beneath their feet, all around them. As a submissive, he immediately recognized its authority. He let it flow through him, let it pass, didn't resist it.
Zevon raised his eyebrows. “There's more to Placido than we thought,” he said.
The three of them made their way to the imposing palace in the capital city.
At least the false name Andia gave was her middle name, Fallon. Zevon now went by Z, and Christophe signed his name Chris. Their last names were inventions, throwaways to discard when the Brotherhood got too close.
Christophe hadn't changed much, though he was more serene and happier than she'd ever seen him. Zevon, however, had changed outwardly and inwardly, his shaved head an evidence of increased aggression against any threat to her or Christophe. Yet he was more tender, more loving now than he had been when the three of them declared their love.
In truth, Andia held out little hope for their enterprise. Her outfit should have warned Christophe that she wasn't taking any shit. She'd dressed in full Mistress regalia: leather boots, vinyl jumpsuit, and black eye shadow. She declared her preference loud and clear but kept her mate mark hidden beneath her long sleeve.
The palace hall was interesting, but nerves kept her focus on the woman at its zenith. Tall, red-haired, and clad all in white, Princess Sera Placido was a regal, beautiful woman. There was authority in her walk, her gaze. This was a woman who understood power.
Yet Andia's instincts screamed that Princess Sera, as powerful as she might be, was a sexual submissive. Perhaps it was the way she glanced at her consort.
Leo Eyler. Would he recognize her? It had been three years and several hair colors ago. Chances were he wouldn't. Andia wasn't sure if she wanted him to remember or not.
The hall was empty except for the famous couple and one guard, a tall man with hazel eyes and impressive pecs. He was shirtless and wore a ceremonial knife at his waist. She had no doubt that he could use it effectively.
Leo had changed somewhat, but his blond hair, blue eyes, and the long scar on his cheek were recognizable. He barely glanced at her, probably believing the story the three fugitives had given.
They stated they were from Atuano, that they were fascinated by Placidian culture and wanted to join the booming Placido population.
Half the battle seemed to be won when Leo whispered something to his royal mate and disappeared through a side door.
"Welcome to Placido,” the princess said and smiled.
Andia shot a glance at both her men. If they showed one little sign that they were attracted to the woman, she'd have to strip their hides and tweak their nipples.
The three stepped forward and bowed their heads. Zevon spoke first. “We thank you, Your Highness."
The princess strode forward. “Your request for sanctuary on my planet seemed unclear to me. You are having a child?” Her attention focused on Andia like a laser.
"I'm three months pregnant,” she answered.
Princess Sera glanced at Zevon and then toward Christophe. “And who is the father?"
Of course. This was always the question. Andia stiffened and tightened her lips. “Is this relevant?"
The other woman's perfectly plucked eyebrows rose. “Don't you know?"
Andia ground her teeth. She turned to Zevon. “It's no different here than anywhere else. Why waste our time?” She spun on her heels and strode toward the exit. Her stomach rolled and pitched. Shit. She was going to hurl on the woman's pretty floor, and she didn't care.
"Mistress,” the woman said, halting Andia's escape with that one word.
Tears stung Andia's eyes. Damn them all. She only wanted acceptance for who she and her lovers were. Not that it really mattered to her. She was willing to live her life with only Zevon and Christophe as company, the rest of the Universe background noise to the symphony of love with them.
But she'd watched Christophe change, his easy social manner becoming morose and a sadness marking his face. He longed for a place to call home, to be loved, to be accepted.
Some of it, she knew, was because he'd been a male sub on Nylar, hidden, rejected for the thing that made him who he was. Where Zevon had flipped off Nyral restrictions, Christophe had bowed his head and lied.
She wanted him to be able to shout his truth, to be himself with no apologies, no awkwardness, and, most of all, no judgment.
Andia slowly turned back to face Princess Sera. Her two men had followed her, no questions asked, and stood beside her. She reached out and clasped Christophe's hand. “I am a Mistress. I am
his
Mistress,” she said and focused on Christophe.
His smile was sweet and loving, like the sun breaking through the clouds. Andia glared at the princess. “And I am a submissive,” she stated as she reached for Zevon's hand. “I am his submissive.” She glanced at Zevon, and her heart leaped at his lopsided grin. “And occasionally I am his Mistress as well."
She swerved her gaze to the princess. “We had heard that you were open to less...conventional couplings. Apparently we heard wrong."
Princess Sera glided forward. “Open? Certainly. But we require openness in return."
Zevon stiffened. “Meaning?” His deep voice was hard.
The princess stayed focused on Andia. “You feel it, don't you? The planet."
Yes, she felt it. All around them, a subtle power flowed through every molecule of air, every atom of substance. Andia sensed the restrained violence, the velvet caress of strength that hid an iron fist.
Princess Sera nodded. “It is unique. Those who feel its power are fated to belong here.” Her blue eyes narrowed. “But it reveals deception. It tells me your name is not Fallon."
Andia froze, fear tripping over her nerves. Zevon wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and Christophe stepped forward, shielding her. “It is my given name,” she said. And it was. It was her middle name, rarely used and never remembered.
"It is not the name by which you are known.” The princess glanced at Zevon. “Nor is this man's name Zebediah shortened to Z. Nor is this man's name Christopher, shortened to Chris.” The woman reached out and touched Andia's sleeve on her right arm. “Won't you show me who you really are?” Princess Sera stroked Andia's mark through the material.
"We've spent three years hiding, Your Highness,” Zevon said. “The Brotherhood would love to know where we are. Why should we risk it?"
The princess studied all three of them for a moment before she answered. “Because trust is a two-way street.” She smiled. “Sometimes it's even a three-way street."
Andia shook her head. “This was a mistake."
Zevon concentrated on the princess's face. “We trust each other, but to trust others takes time."
The woman kept her steady gaze on Andia. “You don't have time."
"There are other planets,” Andia snapped. “We've survived this long. We'll make it."
The planet beneath their feet rumbled and shook. The power of it ripped through Andia. Even Zevon and Christophe felt the jolt. The princess, however, seemed unconcerned and unsurprised.
"I don't doubt that you will,” the woman commented. “But this planet can offer you something others can't. Complete protection from the Brotherhood."
Andia glanced at Christophe. “And what about our coupling? Will it be recognized?"
Princess Sera stared at her for a full minute. “As what?"
Andia tightened her lips. “As a bonded triangle."
"Do you need my recognition?” the princess said calmly.
"We need to know that we won't face bigotry and judgment,” Andia snapped. “I will not allow my submissive to be ridiculed or rejected ever again.” The words had slipped out. Shit. It was too close to the truth, too close to revealing their origins.
Princess Sera's expression was filled with sympathy. “Mistress, on Placido, if you are honest with us, we will be honest with you."
Andia lifted her chin. “Which doesn't answer my question at all."
Princess Sera took a deep breath. “There is no judgment here. This planet accepts all forms of bonding."
With a painful squeeze to Christophe's hand, Andia nodded. “Okay.” Quickly, before she changed her mind, she dropped Christophe's hand and unbuttoned the cuffs of her sleeve.
As she rolled up her sleeve, Zevon kept his arm around her shoulder. The mark beneath was revealed.
The princess studied the elaborate comet and then glanced at the two men. “Which of them bears the same mark?"
"Both of us,” Zevon answered.
His answer startled her. “Both?"
"Both,” Christophe said firmly.
Princess Sera frowned. “Is that even possible?"
Andia gave an exasperated sigh. “Show her,” she ordered the men.
Christophe and Zevon dropped their pants and showed the mate marks on their inner thighs. Princess Sera reached out to touch Christophe's skin, and Andia stepped in front of him. “He's mine. No touching."
The mark on Christophe's thigh flared red, glowing with arousal at Andia's declaration. Stars, she loved that he was turned on by her possessiveness.
The other woman focused on Andia. “Mistress Andia Cyrus.” A whisper of power rippled through the hall. “That is your name.” She glanced at Zevon. “Zevon Maco.” Then, she swerved her gaze to Christophe. “Christophe Onnis."
Andia tensed. Had this been a trap?
The princess nodded slowly. “Of course. That explains your caution.” The woman turned her head and raised her voice to call for her guard. “Shaun, every amenity for the new Placidians."
Andia slightly relaxed, and the princess took her hand gently. “You are most welcome here, Mistress Andia. Leo had wondered what happened to you."
Tears rose, and Andia tried to squash them. “We came because we saw how you defied the Brotherhood."
Princess Sera glanced at Christophe. “You know that you are a hero."
"Me?” Christophe blinked.
The woman smiled. “Yes, you. Many male submissives from Nylar have spoken of your bravery."
"But why?"
"Because you defied the council. Many on Nylar believed you would come home after Pavlik's downfall, denounce your submissive side, and capitulate to the bigotry.” Princess Sera linked her arm through Andia's. “But then, they hadn't met Mistress Ball Breaker, had they?"
The princess led them down the hall to a large table set with glittering silverware and rich food. “The three of you are legends to many who have settled here."
